Smartwatch Buying Guide: Everything You Need To Know
This smartwatch buying guide goes over several factors to consider when deciding whether an Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Fitbit, or other popular wearable brands is right for you.
The best smartwatches we've tested are great in their own right, but they're not for everyone. From big tech brands like Apple, Samsung and Fitbit to traditional watches like Tag Heuer and Fossil, dozens of companies offer smartwatches that bring notifications. , apps and more on your wrist. New models such as Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 expand the possibilities.
Although the features and designs differ, smartwatches can help you save time and take better care of your health. Most have built-in fitness trackers such as heart rate sensors and GPS. Some can be used as phone extensions, while others are marketed as health-focused devices like Fitbit Sense.
Some smartwatches, like the Apple Watch SE, work independently of your phone. But if you want something to take a break from notifications, one of the best fitness trackers might be for you.
We've also looked at a range of options to see which of the best budget smartwatches are worth the price, so whether you're on a budget, have specific fitness goals or just want to be more productive, here's a smartwatch- buying guide to help you decide. Which wearables should you buy?
Smartwatch Buying Guide: Quick Tips
Compatibility: Don't buy a smartwatch without making sure it works with your smartphone. For example, the Apple Watch only works with the best iPhones. We've put together a guide to the best Android smartwatches to pair with your Samsung, Google, or other Android smartphone.
Fitness feature: If you are a fitness enthusiast, choose a watch with heart rate sensor and GPS (to track your running). If this is your favorite sport, you can check out our guide to the best running watches. And check out our showdown between the Apple Watch 7 and the Garmin Instinct 2.
Battery Life : Take note of the rated battery life when shopping. Hybrid smartwatches that look like analog watches have the longest battery life but lack a touchscreen.
Interchangeable straps : Make sure the strap closure or latch is easy to use and easy to replace. Also, make sure you have easy access to replacement tires.
Availability of the application . The app selection is what sets Wear OS apart from watchOS. However, it is not as important as compatibility, design and other features.
Smartwatch Buying Guide: OS and Phone Compatibility
Since most smartwatches are designed to act as a companion to your smartphone, device compatibility is important. For example, the best Fitbits like the Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Versa 2 work with many Android phones and iPhones, but you have to remember that Android phone owners get an extra feature: the ability to quickly respond to incoming text messages and answer calls.
The new Google Wear operating system currently only works on the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Montblanc Summit 3, but it will arrive on all smartwatches based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100 chipset.
Interestingly, the Apple Watch only works with the iPhone. You'll find a pre-installed Apple Watch app for iPhone in the watchOS App Store. There you can install hours of your favorite iOS apps or discover new ones—the store has everything from games to fitness tracking apps and the most used productivity apps, so you can receive Slack notifications or view Todoist lists. .
Smartwatch Buying Guide: OLED vs LCD
Most smartwatches use a color or AMOLED LCD screen that lets you view photos, apps, and other content in rich and generally vibrant colors. Although smartwatch manufacturers increase the performance of the device, the trade-off is a decrease in battery life. Some can last days if not weeks, but if you have more patience, it is better to choose a black and white monitor.
Expensive smartwatches offer sharper OLED displays than LCDs, allowing for a slimmer look. Apple designed its first OLED screen to make the first generation Apple Watch as thin as possible. But note that Samsung launched its first Galaxy Gear OLED smartwatch in 2013.
Smartwatch Buying Guide: Screen or Touchless
Choosing a touchscreen on your smartwatch might seem like a no-brainer. But selecting items on a small screen can be difficult, and some gesture-based interfaces are not intuitive.
Wear OS does a good job of providing card-based notifications that you can dismiss with a simple swipe of your finger, but accessing other apps and in-app options requires a lot of swiping. However, you can switch between cards with just one movement of your hand.
Apple took a hybrid approach to the Apple Watch by offering a touchscreen, digital crown and side button on the right side. You can use the crown to zoom in or quickly scroll through content, and the screen uses Force Touch, which knows the difference between a tap and a long press. By pressing the side button, you can access frequently used applications.
The original Samsung Galaxy Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and the latest Galaxy Watch 4 have bezels that you can rotate to scroll through menus. They are used by touch.
Smartwatch Buying Guide: Design and Customization.
The best smartwatches offer a choice of bands and/or the ability to replace them with third-party options. This is important if you want to customize the appearance of your device.
Most smartwatches offer many customization options before purchase. For example, you can choose the color and material of the band, as well as the color, finish and size of the case for Apple Watch and Fossil smartwatches.
Remember that comfort is very important, for example it is easy to put the watch on the wrist. We definitely avoid smartwatches that require a lot of effort to open and close. Fortunately, most modern watches use standard clasps.
More and more smartwatches have round hands, making them look like traditional watches. New ones are getting smaller. One of the best Garmin watches overall, the Garmin Lily is an attractive choice, especially for smaller wrists.
Traditional watchmakers are joining the ranks with Wear OS devices, combining the style of an analog watch with the intelligence of Google's watch operating system. Movado, Tag Heuer, Emporio Armani and even Louis Vuitton have jumped on board with smartwatches with stylish gadgets and price tags. For this reason, we generally do not recommend it on Apple, Samsung, Garmin or Fitbit devices.
Smartwatch Buying Guide: App Selection
The smartwatch category is evolving and some models now have hundreds or even thousands of apps.
Apple Watch has the most comprehensive app list yet, with more than 20,000 apps available, including ESPN, MapMyRun, Uber and even Rosetta Stone. You can do everything from control your Philips Hue lights (and other great smart home devices) to ordering dinner seamlessly.
The Apple Watch for iOS app has a separate Apple Watch app store to install these apps. Check out our best Apple Watch apps to learn more about what to expect.
Google Wear OS has thousands of apps optimized for this platform. You install apps on the watch, not directly on the smartphone. Wear OS has many of the same apps on Watch OS, including Lyft, which lets you plan rides, and WhatsApp, which lets you reply to messages with your voice.
Smartwatch Buying Guide: Fitness, Step Count, Heart Rate, ECG, SpO2 and GPS Features
As fitness trackers continue to gain attention, smartwatch makers are taking action by integrating activity tracking features. Some smartwatches rely on your smartphone to track activity, but most have at least one built-in pedometer for step counting or step tracking.
If you plan to use your smartwatch primarily for exercise, you may want to look at fitness trackers with smartwatch-like features, such as the Fitbit Charge 5 or Garmin Forerunner 245, which let you change clocks and read notifications. Both offer women's health features, such as the ability to record periods and symptoms, as well as compare them to health metrics such as sleep and activity.
Most of the smartwatches we recommend have built-in heart rate monitors, but we don't always find them as reliable as the Fitbit Inspire 2's standalone fitness tracker. However, the Apple Watch's heart rate sensor has proven to be more accurate. In our tests. .
In addition to heart rate monitoring, some models are equipped with GPS, which makes it more attractive for people who like to run or cycle outdoors and track distance and speed. However, note that using GPS can significantly affect battery life.
Other features like ECG and SpO2 monitoring may be important to you. Fitbit, Apple and Samsung are using FDA-approved EKG sensors in some of their new smartwatches. An EKG shows signs of atrial fibrillation. SpO2 monitoring is more common, which measures blood oxygen levels for sleep apnea or other possible respiratory symptoms.
Smartwatch Buying Guide: Mobile Calls and Payments
Want to make calls from your wrist? Some have LTE built in, so you can leave your phone at home, at least in theory. AT&T's NumberSync and Verizon's NumberShare features let you use the same number on your phone and see if your phone is nearby or not. You'll need to pay for a separate data plan for your smartwatch — about $10 a month — something to consider if you want to use it over a cellular connection.
Many smartwatches have NFC chips in them, which means you can use them to pay for things even if you don't have a phone. All Apple Watch models support Apple Pay, even if there's no iPhone or LTE connection nearby, as do Wear watches with an operating system that supports Google Pay. Samsung's mobile payment system Samsung Pay works on all the latest models
Garmin and Fitbit, known for their fitness watches, have added mobile payments to their new devices.
Buying guide for smartwatches: battery life and charging
Most color screen smartwatches last one to two days (or sometimes less) on a single charge, so you need to consider how long you're willing to put the watch on the grid.
Voice-activated watches don't last as long as phones, but that's to be expected. Apple Watch lasts for 18 hours of mixed use on a single charge.
Most smartwatches, including Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, use wireless charging, which is convenient – you don't need to connect the device directly to the charger. Instead, you place it on a filler disc.
Smartwatch Buying Guide: Prices
Aside from budget devices from unknown brands, most smartwatches cost between $100 for older devices and $1600 for a Tag Heuer Connected. You'll find most smartwatches in the $200 to $500 range, depending on features and accessories.
For example, the Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399 for a base aluminum case and silicone band without built-in GPS, but prices reach $1,399 for the ceramic case or designer options.
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